Like They're Going Out Of Style

One has to wonder how Liberal backbenchers are reacting to recent developments — they've been conspicuously absent from the news stories I've read so far today. I know that were I an anonymous Liberal MP, with solid Liberal party credentials that you could shake a stick at, having served for a few terms, having been on the Martin Train when it wasn't the Cool Thing (TM), and still being relegated to the nether reaches of the House, I'd be royally pissed off.

I mean, seriously, if all that getting a Cabinet post took was having an overnight conversion from eeeevil Konservative membership to having seen the Liberal Light, don't you think that there'd be a little bit of dissension among the ranks? So of course, it can't possibly be the case that defectors get handed a Cabinet job as if they're going out of style....

I count ten floor-crossers to the Liberals since the '97 election, and no less than eight of them got either Parliamentary Secretary or outright Ministerial portfolios.

• Bill Matthews: Jumped ship from the PCs in '99; Parliamentary Secretary, President of the Queen's Privy Council & Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs 2000 – 2003
• Harvey André: Jumped ship from the PCs in '00; Parliamentary Secretary, Minister of Transport 2001 – 2003; Parliamentary Secretary, International Cooperation 2003; Parliamentary Secretary, Natural Resources 2004
• Diane St-Jacques: Jumped ship from PCs in '00; Parliamentary Secretary, Human Resources Development 2003; Deputy Government Whip 2004
• David Price: Jumped ship from PCs in '00; Parliamentary Secretary, National Defence (Reserves) 2003 &ndash 2004
• Joe Peschisolido: Jumped ship from Alliance in '02; Parliamentary Secretary, President of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada & 2003
• Scott Brison: Jumped ship from Conservatives in '03; Minister of Public Works & Government Services
• Keith Martin: Jumped ship from the Conservatives in '04; Parliamentary Secretary, National Defence
• Belinda Stronach: Jumped ship from Conservatives yesterday; Minister for Human Resources Development

Who were the poor unfortunate souls that didn't get the seemingly-standard defector's package of a new job, new title, pay raise, and chauffeur? Robert Lanctôt, jumped ship from BQ in '03 when Martin took over, and Rick Laliberte, who jumped from the NDP back in '00.